Cannomois virgata male spikelets

The male inflorescence of Cannomois virgata consists of a multitude of small brown spikelets on small branches clustered at the nodes. Each floret has three anthers, here concealed under the bracts or modified leaves that form an imbricate pattern on the spikelet.

The seeds of this plant are nuts produced on the female plants. Seed production is not quite such a bustling enterprise in resprouter plants like C. virgata, compared to the reseeder restio species. Vigorous seed setting is stimulated by fire, decreasing in fire-free years and even stopping (Dorrat-Haaksma and Linder, 2000; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; http://pza.sanbi.org).